Lessons from a Dead Girl--Jo Knowles

Title: Lessons from a Dead Girl
Author: Jo Knowles
Publisher: Candlewick, 2007 (ebook 2012)
Pages: 254 p
Source: Library Ebook
Compensation: None

Laine is the kind of girl who longs for a best friend but is socially shy and awkward, which is why she's so shocked and delighted when Leah, the younger sister of Laine's older sister's best friend, picks *her* to be her best friend forever. The girls are inseparable and do all sorts of normal best friend things... And some not normal things too. Unfortunately for Laine, Leah is a controlling abusive type of friend, one who makes Laine do things she doesn't want to do and then makes fun of her and makes her feel guilty for having done them at all.

The story opens with a teenaged Laine remembering her tortured history with Leah after having just heard that Leah has been in a terrible fatal car accident. Knowles does a good job of hinting at the reasons behind Leah's bullying sexual abusive ways without excusing her for them. We sympathize with Laine, even if she is too naive at times. Knowles has not taken the easy way out and demonized her bully, but has instead written complex realistic characters. Lessons from a Dead Girl is a solid YA book and well worth the read.

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Life Happens Next--Terry Trueman

Title: Life Happens Next
Author: Terry Trueman
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 132 p
Source: Library
Compensation: None

Life Happens Next picks up immediately where the events of Stuck In Neutral leave off. I wish I could link to my review of Stuck In Neutral but I must have read it pre-blog. I did review the companion novel Cruise Control, which tells the events of Stuck In Neutral from brother Paul's point of view instead of Shawn's.

Stuck in Neutral was a powerful heartbreaking story of a boy thought to be a vegetable who in reality just has no control over any of his muscles. Having no control means he cannot send messages with his eyes by blinking or speak through a computer or have any meaningful contact with anyone. No one knows that inside his head he is thoughtful and intelligent and for the most part, happy. His father hates the idea of him suffering--not knowing that's he not--and plans to end it. At the end of Stuck In Neutral, we're not sure if his father has gone through with his plan or if he has a change of heart.

WARNING: READING THIS REVIEW WILL ANSWER THAT QUESTION. IF YOU HAVEN'T READ STUCK IN NEUTRAL YET, GO DO THAT AND THEN COME BACK HERE. 

Life Happens Next is definitely a sequel and provides the closure that Cruise Control did not. Shawn has made it to his 15th birthday. While there is no miraculous recovery, he is able to make a connection with an older cousin with Down Syndrome who moves in with Shawn's family after her own parents die. He also connects with her dog who is somehow able to sense his feelings. He still dreams of being able to communicate and run and be free of his restrictive body and being able to connect with Debbie on a deeper level gives him hope for the future. 

This novel was not quite as powerful as Stuck in Neutral. At times there was a bit too much telling and not showing, but it is hard to write a novel when the main character cannot interact with other characters in any meaningful way. While it's not as ground-breaking, fans of Stuck in Neutral will be happy to finally have a conclusion to Shawn's story. 

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a certain october--Angela Johnson

Title: a certain october
Author: Angela Johnson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2012
Pages: 158 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

I'm a big fan of Angela Johnson (see my other reviews here) and a certain october is no exception. Johnson writes short, quick, powerful, emotional books that are perfect for reluctant readers or just short-on-time readers. She packs a lot in her small packages.

Scotty's life is not too easy or too hard, she gets along with her stepmother and her autistic half-brother, has good friends, and does okay in school. And then one day she is in a terrible train accident in which a classmate is killed and her brother is seriously injured. Dealing with severe survivor's guilt and depression, Scotty must find a way to forgive herself and continue living.

Johnson is a master at raw emotion. Her books are "easy" to read, but difficult to digest. Although there are some adult situations and language, this is a perfect book to discuss as a group.

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Enchanted--Alethea Kontis

Title: Enchanted
Author: Alethea Kontis
Publisher: Harcourt, 2012
Pages: 308 p.
Source: Library
Compensation: None

Think of your favorite fairy tale and chances are good that at least a  part of it is in Alethea Kontis's Enchanted. The story opens with seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, Sunday, writing down her family story when she is interrupted by a talking frog. Everyone knows that a talking frog is an enchanted frog who must be kissed for the spell to be broken. After a friendly conversation Sunday complies with the frog's request for a kiss, but he remains a frog. Luckily they live in fairy tale land where insta-love is not only common, but encouraged, so it only takes three days for her love to be strong enough to transform him back into a man. Unluckily for Sunday she misses the transformation and assumes her beloved frog has perished in a storm. Doubly unlucky for her, her frog has turned into the very Prince thought to be responsible for her older brother's death and her family's misfortune. How can Prince Rumbold convince her and her family that he deserves her love?

There are elements of Cinderella, The Frog Prince (obviously), Jack & the Beanstalk, folklore (seventh son stories), fairies, godmothers, and probably more I am forgetting. Fairy tale fans will be entertained by spotting all the references and seeing how Kontis weaves them into her larger story. Kontis does a good job of borrowing familiar elements but still writing her own tale. This is a delightful story sure to please readers.


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